According to the ancient grassroots management system where "imperial power does not extend to the county level," the village head and local gentry were the first level of managers.
The population of Ba County is sparse, and the village head of Lihua Town has replaced the village head and is also responsible for the taxes and corvée labor of the surrounding villages.
Speaking of Jiang Zhi, the village chief, he could only manage a few dozen households in Xujia Village, a very minor position below the village head.
However, her position as village chief was somewhat special; she was essentially "directly under" the jurisdiction of Magistrate Zhang, and didn't need anyone else to supervise her...
Jiang Zhi has never seen what the village head looks like since the election of the village head.
Upon hearing that Song Lizheng had arrived, Jiang Zhi knew without a doubt that he was there for those thugs and Wang Xiaoju.
After Xiaoman delivered the message, a group of people quickly appeared on the road between the thatched huts.
Song Lizheng was an elderly scholar, very thin, wearing a fine cotton long gown.
Even in the sweltering summer, the collar of my clothes was buttoned up tightly.
He was a local gentry who fled to the city at the beginning of the war and escaped the calamity. Now he has returned and is in charge of the villages under the jurisdiction of Lihua Town.
Accompanying him was the eldest son of the Wang family, who was covered in sweat and looked nervous, but immediately relaxed when he saw Jiang Zhi.
He was startled when he heard that his sister and brother-in-law had brought people to Xujia Village to move things.
Granny Jiang was not someone to be trifled with; this grain-moving was bound to cause a scene, so they quickly invited Song, the village head, to help.
With the situation under control, let's see who dares to cause trouble now.
Following behind Song Lizheng were several town guards, and Wang Xiaoju, who had just run away, also returned.
Song Li's face was gloomy. His gaze swept across the crowd gathered under the drying shed and landed on Jiang Zhi.
I had heard people say that a woman was now in charge of Xujia Village.
This person was elected by the village itself, and Inspector Zhang is also in Xujia Village.
This Xu family village was destroyed by bandits, and the villagers were all displaced people, impoverished and destitute. It would be a mess for anyone to take on the responsibility, so he pretended not to know anything and just got rid of the burden.
But now that they've started seizing family property, forcing people to divorce, and making people afraid to go home, we can't just ignore it.
Jiang Zhi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "It must be tiring for Village Chief Song to come to Xujia Village in this sweltering heat!"
When Song Lizheng saw that her hair was disheveled from working, and her clothes and shoes were covered in mud and corn dust, and that she was still performing this neither-male-nor-female, inappropriate etiquette, it was truly an eyesore.
He immediately frowned, flicked his sleeve, and pretended not to see anything while looking around.
This is a drying shed, with some baskets piled up in the corners and winnowing baskets placed on shelves. It's not exactly messy, but it's not a place for entertaining guests.
Especially since there were people surrounding them, they weren't as respectful as people from other villages; it was more like they were watching a play.
“Jiang, it’s the busy farming season now, why have you gathered these villagers here?”
Since you're the village head, you should think about the villagers' livelihoods. They can't tolerate your unreasonable behavior and arrogance. Why shouldn't they all be making a living?
Song Lizheng had a stern face and habitually lifted his robe... only then did he realize there were no seats behind him, so he could only stand and give a speech.
Jiang Zhi glanced at Xu Genbao, who was standing uncomfortably clutching his buttocks, then at Wang Xiaoju, who was crying behind him, and at the eldest son of the Wang family, who was pretending to be stupid.
He couldn't help but curse inwardly: You idiot, the person is already right in front of you, why are you playing dumb?
Since you've come here to make me uncomfortable, don't blame me for making you uncomfortable too.
However, these trivial matters really couldn't interfere with farm work, so she waved her hand and said, "Everyone, go do what you're supposed to do, don't stay here watching this monkey show!"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Tian Gui and the others immediately drove away the bystanders, forbidding them from gathering.
However, Errui, Xiaoman, and a few others remained under the drying shed, staring at Wang Laoda and the others.
On the other side... a monkey show!
Song Lizheng's face darkened. He suppressed his anger and waited until everyone had left before angrily saying, "Someone from town came to report that your Xu Family Village is detaining people without permission. Hand them over now!"
Jiang Zhi looked surprised: He came from the official road, so he must have passed through Zhang Juntou's inspection station.
Since they already know those thugs have been arrested, why are they still asking me for their people... trying to bully the weak?
He immediately raised his voice and said, "What are you saying, Song Lizheng? Did you send those robbers?"
"I can take him, but I've already handed him over to the patrol battalion to be escorted to the county government. If Song, the village head, is quick, he can still catch him!"
Song Lizheng's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Nonsense! Miss Wang brought people to move house, how can you call her a robber? As the village head, you should get to the facts before handling matters, don't..."
"How could I not have asked clearly? To catch adulterers, you need to catch them in the act; to catch thieves, you need to catch them with the stolen goods. I caught them with their belongings, so isn't that clear enough?" Jiang Zhi retorted.
"That's just your side of the story..."
Jiang Zhi didn't give Song Lizheng a chance to spout nonsense, and directly interrupted him, saying, "What you heard is only one side of the story. Wang Xiaoju led people to rob farmers of their property. She was caught red-handed, and there is no doubt about it!"
"Jiang, what right do you, a mere village head, have to judge others as thieves!" Song, the village head, roared in anger.
Jiang Zhi didn't tolerate him, and retorted, "I can see thieves with my sharp eyes and clear mind. Unlike some people who become delirious after a few bowls of soup, so crazy that they don't even recognize their own mothers."
Song Lizheng loved wine and had to drink a cup every day, so as soon as he opened his mouth, Jiang Zhi could smell the wine and naturally assumed that he was drunk and acting crazy.
Upon hearing that he was being called a drunkard, Song Lizheng was so angry that he waved his hand at the town's guards behind him and said, "Take this disrespectful village woman away."
Jiang Zhi didn't move, while Er Rui and Xiao Man reached for the hilts of their knives at their waists.
Tian Gui, Xu Gensheng, and the others quickly stepped forward: "Song, calm down. Village Chief Jiang is just like that. Please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."
"Yes, yes! You're an educated person, you should be sensible..."
Qin and Pi rushed forward, chattering, "Oh dear, village head, if you take the village chief away from us, what will we do if anything happens in our village? We'll have to come to you!"
“Yes, people are already daring to enter the village to steal grain, and they’re about to come and take people away. Village head, if I feel scared, can I stay at your house?” Qin asked earnestly.
"Clang!"
When the village head came over, Li Laoshi was particularly attentive. Feeling it was inappropriate to let the village head stand, he carried over a stool that he had dug out of some shack.
However, just then he heard Song Lizheng shouting that he was going to arrest someone. He stopped in his tracks, his hand slipped, and the stool on his shoulder "accidentally" fell to the ground, rolled over, and almost hit Song Lizheng's foot.
The village head, Song, jumped three feet high in fright, showing his agility.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, this stool is impolite. It's all about appearances and no substance. Song, the village head, can't sit on it!"
Without even blinking, Li Laoshi picked up the stool from the ground and swaggered past Song Lizheng.
"You, you've all lost your minds, daring to obstruct official business!" Upon seeing this, Boss Wang shouted loudly.
He simply couldn't believe that the town's militia, brought by Song Lizheng, couldn't control these villagers or subdue a single woman.
But his response was a tattered shoe thrown at his face. Qin pointed at the eldest son of the Wang family and cursed, "Your sister has one man to support her, isn't that enough? She brings a wild man to steal our grain in broad daylight, and you get to eat and drink with her. You're shameless and have no shame!"
Qin harbored a deep resentment over not being able to pull down Wang Xiaoju's pants, and would seize any opportunity to humiliate her in return.
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